United As They Stand
by Rudy Dale
Summary: Afternth death of Batman, Robin is thrown into turmoil, haunted by the past and the future, as Gotham is in chaos. The Titans band together for one last mission to stop the mysterious crime lord taking advantage of Batman's death. (Featuring Batgirl & Red Hood)
1. Chapter 1

The lights in Titans Tower stayed on through the late hours of the night. Usually the Titans would be resting when the clock showed 4:49 A.M. But this was a special occasion, Cyborg has just been enlisted as a member of the Justice League. It played out like he always wanted it to. Superman and Wonder Woman talking to him about his expertise on the computer and the field.

Robin poured out another glass of punch for himself. It's been a while since he's felt this happy. Ever since Tokyo, it's like the Titans came back the same, but the world changed. He looked around the living room, Raven and Cyborg talking, oddly. Raven's never been the talkie type. Starfire participating with Beast Boy in a pin the tail on the donkey. Though, Beast Boy just got -accidentally pricked with the pin, he didn't hold a grudge.

Raven's grown more since Tokyo. She's been visiting Azerath, talking to Arella. It wasn't until yesterday she revealed she wanted to resurrect the once bubbling land.

Beast Boy's been taken on numerous missions with the "D.O.O.M Patrol". The Chef has been more welcoming to Beast Boy's ways of doing business. Even letting him take command on multiple adventures. Robin knew that eventually, Beast Boy be leaving the Titans, too.

Starfire's father had fallen ill this past year. He and Starfire have visited Tamaran to check it on Galfore, ruler of the planet. He's been looking worse and worse with every visit. Galfore talked to Starfire many times in private without Robin present. He didn't know whether to ask what was the subject matter.

For now, the Titans are together. Robin just doesn't know how long.

"So, when are you joining the JLA?" Raven asks. She put her drink down on the table, seeing a cup on top of her book. Her face reddened. "Who put their soda on top of my first edition!" Raven barked. Beast Boy stopped checking the spot where he got pricked and sheepishly raised his hand, signaling "my bad." Cyborg got Raven's attention. "In about a month, they're in the middle of helping Hal Jordon with Parallax." He answered. "Yo, BB, you got anything other than this generic Rock music?" He asks.

Robin smiled. They were comfortable with each other alright.

The sirens went off. The team turned their heads to the mainframe computer, showing a truck driving down the Jump City turnpike. Robin burst into action, running down to the garage, paying no mind to his other teammates. Robin got into his motorcycle and floored it, leaving tire marks on the garage floor.

He raced down the cold roads, dodging cars from the left and the right, until finally catching up to the truck. The police radio played in his helmet. "Please be advised, wreck less driver is armed and dangerous." Robin got a first hand look at that face, as gunshots hit the pavement. The passenger threw down spikes, meant to pop tires, only it wasn't meant for Robin's vehicle.

The spikes hit two cars and sent them flying, one over the road and the other directed at Robin himself. He ditched his motorcycle before certain death and tumbled on the cold pavement, unable to continue the chase. He looked at his burning motorcycle, noting he has more. He began to lose consciousness, his vision blurring of red and blue speeding down the highway.


	2. Chapter 2

Cyborg looked at Robin's X-ray, his _left arm was broken, but a minor fracture, two broken ribs_. Not enough to keep him out of commission for a while - course, knowing Robin, he'd just slap some tape on it. Cyborg worried, as did the team of Robin's change in attitude.

Cyborg walked in on Beast Boy observing the footage of the Quinn freeway, looking for the convoy. "Any luck?" He asks his green friend. "No, not really." Beast Boy admitted. Cyborg took the controls, moved the knob for time and caught the license plate of the truck. He looked at Beast Boy with a cocky grin. "Oh, shut up!" He teased. "How's Robin?" He asked. Cyborg typed on the keypad. "Fine, needs to rest, he's got a broken ulna in his left forearm, two broken ribs and his knees took some damage." He informed. Beast Boy's eyes widened, that fall must have really been bad, he thought

Cyborg extended his right wrist and popped out his mini-screen, the route the truck took. He used his index finger on the touch pad, to copy the directions the truck made. He crossed matched the license plate and

"Got it!" He tracked the 18-wheeler's plates and found out where it went. " _Gotham City."_

* * *

At the other end of the tower, Starfire meditated with Raven in her quarters. " _Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos_." They both repeated over-and-over. Raven levitated off the ground, while Starfire stayed on the surface. She took note of her friends turmoil and paused. "You alright, Star?" She asks. Starfire took a breath and stretched her legs out from the lotus position. "Oh, yes, I am the fine." She tried to fool the demon, but she could see it wasn't getting past her. Raven narrowed her eyes at the Tamaranian. "I fear Robin will get himself killed one day." Starfire confessed, holding her legs near her.

Raven lowered herself on the ground and looked at Starfire with concern. "He still needs time to get over what happened." Raven tried to rationalize, Robin's change of character this last year. "We all went through something that changed us internally, it takes time to adjust." The pale-skinned looked down to her tanned-skinned teammate. "This is different. He has this death wish."

Raven understood this and thought she was the wrong person Starfire was wasting breath on. "You talk to Robin about this?" She asks. Starfire shook her head. "He is sleeping." They then heard a pounding coming from the floor above them. Raven's room was on the top floor of Titans Tower, somebody must be on the roof. "Or maybe he's on the roof." Raven sensed that her partner was on top of the tower.

Starfire got up and proceeded to exit Raven's quarters, to make her way to the roof. Climbing a ladder to see her friend standing at the edge of the roof, looking at the ocean hit the sharp jagged rocks at the bottom, the sounds of the Pacific Ocean calmed Robin down. "Robin?" Starfire saw him, his arm still in a sling, a black eye, along with a Flak Jacket, probably to cover his broken ribs. "Hey, Star," He smiled at her, then turned his head back to the waters. Starfire walked up to him, not knowing what to say or how to say it, earthly customs still came...strange to her. "It's a wonderful view." She judged. Starfire rarely came out to the roof, just to take in the sights of the west coast city.

"Robin agreed, nodding, adding a grunt to his reply. Starfire took a hold of his left hand with hers. "Robin, are you okay?" She asks, a little worry creeping out of her voice. Robin looked at the Tamaranian, perplexed. "Uh, yeah, I guess." He kidded. But he could see in the girls face, she was in no such mood. "Then why did you push us all away last night? We could have stopped the truck." She pressed Robin. He sweated a little, he didn't like being questioned by someone as close to him as Starfire, it made him uncomfortable. "It was going faster than I expected, I needed to get out ahead." He defended.

Starfire let go of Robin's hands and crossed her arms over her chest, like a sitcom housewife. "Then tell me, why did you take your bike and not Cyborg's T car, which is faster?" She asks. "Or just track the license plate, if he was indeed 'going faster than expected." Oh, how he hated this. He wanted to get lost in something, whatever is, just to get away from the interrogation. Starfire saw his uneasiness and let up. "We are a team, why have you pushed us away this last year, is it because of -" Robin raised a hand to Starfire, not to threaten, but to just stop her from saying his name. He just nodded. Starfire embraced Robin, knowing the pain of losing somebody special. "Robin looked back at Starfire, her purple attire she wore since day one of the Titans inception, hugged her body appropriately. Robin still doesn't know where she got that clothing.

"Just because you've lost your mentor, doesn't mean you have to protect us." Starfire states calmly, letting him go. Robin looked at Starfire's green pupils, she wore a warm smile, that followed her previous cold scowl. " _Jason Todd_ died too." He shared. Starfire knew what he was referring to. "Did you know him?" Starfire asks.

"Robin shook his head. "Never met him, but he was the 'Robin' after me, in a way, we were linked." He looked back down to the jagged rocks, waves crashing on them, breaking us the stones one pebble at a time. "It could have been me, if things were different." He said. Starfire couldn't say anything, she didn't have to. She could tell Robin was broken to some degree and wasn't going to be the same for quite some time. He was lost.


	3. Chapter 3

Cyborg sat at the Titans mainframe computer, examining Phillip Chill's records. Beast Boy looked at the screen, his eyes red, tired. "If we know the truck was heading to Gotham, then why aren't we just following the trail?" Beast Boy complained. Robin stoically looked at the green-skinned teen.

"Gotham City isn't like other cities Beast Boy, it's harsher on vigilantism." Robin answered. "Okay, here it is," Cyborg called Robin over to the screen. "Chill was moving some weapons to Gotham." Robin looked confused. "Since when did Gotham start dealing with a weapons shortage?" He ask. "Chill's company - has a _history_ doing business with shady cats." Cyborg brought up the file of thug Joe Chill known for the murder of the billionaire philanthropist Wayne family. "Like father like son." Robin dryly commented, his fist clenched. He hated that scum still being alive, but he shadowed that hate. "Do you know who Chill was dropping the tanks off to?" Cyborg shook his head. "Close to finding out." Robin started getting an idea of who could be behind this."You contact _Batgirl_?" Robin asks Cyborg, he shook his head. Beast Boy looked at Robin curiously. "Batgirl? Why not the _Justice League_ ?" He asks. Cyborg fielded Beast Boy's question. "They're in the middle of a conflict with the ' _Green Lantern Core_ _'_." Raven raised an eyebrow. the lights in Titans Tower suddenly blew out.

Starfire's hand shined a green to aide her blinded friends. "Is everyone okay?" She asks. "Yeah, no problem." Raven answered. Sounds of vents hitting the floor, suspended the Titans' attention towards the crashed computer. A man, who Starfire could only make out his headwear, swung in and delivered a kick to Robin's skull, sending him to the ground. "Robin!" She cried out. Cyborg jumped out of his chair and pointed his wrist blaster right at the intruder, only to find that he placed a charge down in front of them. His eyes widened. "Everybody do-" the Tower went up in flames, protected only by Raven's dark magic that engulfed the team in a black When the dust settled, the team saw their place was completely trashed. The computers were toasted; the hard drive used to investigate the cargo vanished from its plug. The rooms were either charred or in the process of getting there; to add to that the tower gave little evidence it was staying up for much longer.

The man in the red ski mask was seen hopping from one platform to the other, swinging upwards towards the roof, Robin eyed the blue hard drive hanging from his fingers. He was about to give chase, when he saw Beast Boy and Starfire trapped in the rubble. Robin knew he couldn't let the mysterious villain leave with that important information, he also knew he has a broken ulna; two bad ribs, is wearing a flak jacket and experiencing a splitting headache. He threw his grapple hook gun frustratedly on the ground, grunting a profane word, that was inaudible to the other Titans. He ran to his friends, picking Starfire up from the blanket of fallen ceiling that entrapped her limbs, thankfully no serious injuries were caused to her or Beast Boy. "He got away." He lamented, once it became clear his teammates were all okay. "Thank you, Raven." He remembered the demon who saved the Titans' life. She saw the state of the tower and raised caution. "We need to leave this building now!" Beast Boy held on to his bruised right arm, as he stumbled a little. "This place can't go, it's Titans Tower!" He suppressed the memories that were made in the alphabet shaped building

Cyborg draped the slightly wounded Beast Boy over his left shoulder. "Let's move!" He ordered. Starfire took a hold of Robin, which made him a little embarrassed - and flew him to a safe part of the island with the team, so that the debris wouldn't catch them. Very soon the building started to cave; crumbling to the ground in a loud fire that it's a miracle the debris didn't make it to Jump City, as the dust clouds hung over the water.

The Titans just stared at their historic ruins. Robin shook off the feeling of remorse, focusing more on the hard drive. "The garage is trashed. My baby! Cyborg cried out, running to his T-car, watching his precious hot rod burn. "Whoever did this, they're going to pay!" He proclaimed his will to the heavens, promising vengeance against the offender.

"We have no weapons, no car, no transport, no place to live"... Robin tried to conjure up a solution to the Titans' woes, but couldn't. He instead remembered Joe Chill's freight company, down on Jacks Boulevard.

Robin called Titans East to assist their homelessness. Before leaving Robin said he had some business to take care of in Jump City. Robin ripped his cast off his forearm, slapped on some tape, took a painkiller and proceeded to Jacks Boulevard.

He hung from the rafters of the main building, disposing of the first five goons with ease. He was eventually knocked off his vantage point and forced to meet on the thugs' level. He shot his claw at a goons' hand, pulling at it harshly, which broke his head, but he lost his rifle, Robin gave him a kick to the head, grimacing at the pain that sent his ribs.

When all the goons were disposed of. Robin made his way to the main office, his instincts took over; taking cover near the door and gently opening the for some reason unlocked door. What followed was bullets making holes in the wooden frame. "Six holes, six bullets, sounds like an old-school revolver." Robin opened walked in the office to see Joe Chill pounding the barrel of his gun with his left hand, desperately trying to get one more bullet off.

"You fired _six_ ," Robin told him. "You need to reload." Chill hid himself under his desk. The man couldn't have been younger than 80, looked at Robin as if he were death himself ready to take his soul to the next life. "What do you want?" He shrieked, eager to make a bargain. Robin looked at the pathetic creature with sympathy, Chill must have gotten too famous for his own good when he took out the Wayne Family.

"Two nights ago, a truck with your company name on it, lead a police chase out of Jump City to Gotham. _Why_?" Robin lowered himself to the crouching old man under the desk. "My son...he stole it. I didn't want to make that shipment, we don't move tanks!" Robin raised a quizzical look. " _He must be senile_." He thought. "Who wanted the tanks?" Robin questioned grabbing the old man by the turtle neck. "Some guy, he spoke in a low voice, he...wore a nlack and orange mask!" That's all Robin needed to hear to make him let go of the man's shirt and almost simulate a heart attack. He didn't need to say his name. It was.

Robin regained his composure and re-approached Chill. "If you want to live, you'll do everything I ask." He demanded. Chill nodded vigorously. Robin could tell he wasn't over the influence. Robin knew this place was a weapons front for the evil that takes place in Gotham City. He wasn't interested in leaving the connection open for the next thug aspiring to be the next Joker.

Police cars surrounded Chill's company, finding the unauthorized weapons, shipments to various crime outlets in Jump City. If they could, the JCPD would contact the GCPD about this and put them on alert, but Robin knew they wouldn't never do that. The GCPD has _James Gordon died._


	4. Chapter 4

Another cold, rainy night in Gotham City. The streets were empty, as expected. Batgirl starred out from a distance of her troubled city, since the deaths of Gotham's most well known criminals, the city has been owned by the Slade and the Red Hood, or as Barbara knew him: _Jason_. Oh, how she wanted him dead, but she knew Bruce would never do such a thing to a once valued fighter like Jason.

Gazing upon her disfigured paradise, Batgirl's ears rang with the sounds of bells and sirens. The First Bank of Gotham is being robbed. She knows that sound anywhere, considering the FBG has an unique sound when being robbed. Extending her left hand holding a grappling gun, Batgirl rocketed up 50 feet, making way to the alarm. She grapple hooked quicker and quicker from building to building.

She landed on top of a roof across from the bank, witnessing Bane and his cronies fighting off waves of police officers. Right above her was her greatest fear. The Red Hood took out a carbon rifle and proceeded to fire two rounds at the robbers. Batgirl needed to make a choice, whether to stop Jason Todd from mowing down another criminal in cold blood and let Bane getaway, or to assist the rouge in this act. She chose the former, making her way up the building, Batgirl was able to kick away Jason's automatic weapon. "Barbara, nice to see you too." The Red Hood kidded while Batgirl just looked at him with a cold glare that was masking her twisted knife feeling. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I got a job to do. Adios!" He jumped down right where the action was. Just how he liked it. He loved the adrenaline pumping through his veins; feeling more relaxed, as things slowed from this angle of fighting crime.

Batgirl immediately followed suit, while Red Hood took on the Bane, as expected, Batgirl focused on tactically taking down his assistants. Red Hood squeezed Bane's tube that gave him a dose of Venom, he began to choke, his body convulsing, withering on the pavement. Batgirl looked behind her, seeing Jason's intent on finishing off Bane. She jumped directly at his _spine_ , landing hard on the concrete with a loud thud. The Bane was out for the count and soon so was the Red Hood.

A fist made contact right to her nose, smashing it, bones crackling, blood spilling on her black and gold batsuit. Her breathing increased, as she laid on the floor, struggling to regain her senses. It wasn't the Red Hood that got her. Her opponent stood over her, at a dominating six foot height, her vision blurred, she could only make out a black and orange mask. He brought back his right hand for the knockout blow. Batgirl, however seen this and blocked the hit with her feet, followed up by a swift punch to the neck, making the assistant drop the ground, but hopped back up like a coiled spring.

"A little harsh now, don't you think. You're becoming more and more like me every day Batgirl." He sarcastically chided, adding a "tsk, tsk, tsk," to his sentence. "I thought you worked alone?" She asks, wiping the blood from her nostrils. Under the mask, Jason smiled. "I do, but our goals intersect." He looked over to his left side. "You better get your friend a hospital." Jason sarcastically quipped, while Slade looked at Batgirl blankly, sending slight shivers down her spine.

She ran to the injured super villain. Not another one. She thought. She hated the scum of Gotham just as much as Bruce did, but she knew he despised killing. It was the cowards way to handling these people. She held Bane's humongous wrist, feeling no pulse, neither there or at his neck. He was dead. Another murder at the hands of the Red Hood and so is his henchmen. Another failure, she thought. Where to go from here?

The sun rose up from the ground, giving birth to the new day and the death of the night. Barbara entered her home, throwing her mask to the other side of the room behind her living room couch. Barbara took off her batsuit, putting herself in lounge out clothing, and looked at herself in the mirror, the feeling of fire in her left arm, dried blood covering the left side of her face.

Barbara took her right index finger and thumb, painfully twisting her broken nose back into place with a loud grunt into a wooden spoon placed in her mouth. Barbara cleaned herself up and proceeded to walk over to her laptop sitting sideways on her couch. She opened her slightly cracked screen, reading the news reports around Gotham. Barbara went to her right side to a drawer on her nightstand and pulled out a report on Phillip Chill, who recently brought in by police at a Gotham weighing station, police officers found tanks, but they were soon gone in minutes upon recovery.

A voice cranked through her eardrums, making her jump slightly. "Chill worked for Slade to bring in the tanks. I don't know what he plans to do with them." Robin walked in, giving off an unreadable expression, as per usual. Barbara hasn't seen Robin in three years, she was shocked and also disturbed at what he is doing here. "Robin?" She jumped a little, gasping. "What happened to you?" She asks, meaning why is he here. Robin understood what she was pertaining to. "I know Gotham isn't my city anymore, but I think Slade is hiding out in the city, I don't know what it is he wants that he can't get in Jump City." Robin eyed the mountain of papers in Barbara's already cramped room. "Old school?" He questioned. Barbara got off her chair and approached her former colleague. "Can't hack paper." She warmly embraced Robin. "Welcome back." Barbara happily says to Robin. "We've got allot of work to do." He said after he exited the embrace.


	5. Chapter 5

The Titans recovered in their eastern affiliates tower. Starfire rested her bum ankle, while Beast Boy nurses a minor head bruise. Raven and Cyborg talked to Titans East about who hit Titans Tower. "Red mask, black jacket, black jeans and boots." Aqualad summarized his appearance. Cyborg nodded. "I've heard of this guy running around Gotham, playing Batman, except he kills." Bumblebee chimed in. "The media calls him the Red Hood." Bumblebee said.

Raven looked at the board cluttered with pictures and files. "Gotham City became Batgirl's responsibility after Batman's Death. Where is she?" Raven asks, continuing to analysis the board. "I talked to her, she on alert." Cyborg said. "You think this is the work of Slade?" Starfire asks, walking over with her gimpy right ankle. Raven took her friend and gently helped her back to the couch. "I don't know, Starfire, this does smell of him."

* * *

Back in Gotham, Batgirl & Robin oversaw Carmine Falcone's weapons deal with Black Mask. "Carmine is Slade's biggest backer, only the police haven't connected the dots yet." Batgirl informed. "You told

the GCPD?" Robin asks, gathering the footage of two crime families in a meeting at a bread factory. "I'm a desk jockey; they don't care what I have to say." Batgirl confessed.

Carmine handed the keys to a moving truck, his men closed the back doors. Robin knew who he was chasing. "I'm taking Black Mask." Robin stated, staring lasers at his prepared fleet of armored men guarding their terrifying boss. Batgirl nodded. Falcone's men entered their vehicle. "I get Falcone and whatever it is Black Mask has given him." She stated, shooting her grappling gun forward. Robin rode his motorcycle, choosing to stalk Black Mask, rather than challenging him head on. Wanting to ease Starfire's concerns, though he did just leave his team without much indication of where he went.

Black Mask's protection was surprisingly light. Two black sedans, positioned at the front and behind his black limo. Robin switched on his sound detection in his ear, listening in on Black Mask's conversation with his secretary. "Carmine gets his toys, i get a slice of Gotham City, when it's taken over." He yelled, prior a loud grunt heard from the backseat. One of his goons might've questioned him. The body was thrown out the car, his bulky frame rolling down the road, he looked to be moving. Robin hopped he didn't see him.

"If anyone wants to get smart with me, there's plenty of room on the road!" Robin knew from experience that Black Mask was always the one for physical intimidation. He was also aware of his lack of foresight. His ability to be taken advantage of if the "cut" is presented to him right. Whatever it was Slade promised him, Robin knew what he was really intending to do with Mask's cut. "I get to own all Gotham City banks and oil companies, all for the price of a few dozen tanks. The suckers will line up for refueling!" Black Mask laughed, slapping his knee. His men laughed nervously.

The cars pulled up to Black Mask's mansion, relatively light security for such a known businessman. Two snipers on the balcony, five on the lawn and the six men just exiting the cars. Eleven men. Robin withdrew his knockout gas capsules from his gauntlet, waited for the perfect time when they were conversations and threw the pill at the snipers feet. Robin knew he had to react fast, as the smoke will no doubt cause the most attention. He had to take down the snipers first. He took out his custom made tranquilizer darts, blowing them into the necks of the six lawn occupiers with his retractable blowgun. " _Should be out for an hour_." Robin thought.

The six men standing, seen the green smoke emit from the knockout capsules, witnessing also their companions passed out bodies. "What happened here?!" Questioned one of the goons. Robin jumped down and handed the six men metal tip kicks to the torso and face, harsh finishing blows that will put them out for hours. Robin would have just given him a tranquilizers shot, but he used them all up.

He looked at his handiwork. " _Eleven in three minutes, not bad_." He thought to himself. Conceding Starfire was right about his over aggressive nature. He entered Black Mask's mansion, expecting a shotgun shot to come his way, but only meeting silence... He looked around the cold white halls the introduced him, finding nothing.

Robin raised an eyebrow, slightly worried at the quietness of the house. He never liked it when it was quite after it was just loud. The door slammed shut behind him, startled, Robin threw one of his "Wing-Dings" at the shadows. He knew eyes were on him. He knew it. He walked slowly to the upstairs, Black Mask's office.

When he reached his door, it was open, dark, nothing could be seen. Robin flipped on the light switch, seeing the open hung mouth of Black Mask, his body sat spread on his white revolving chair, his matching suit ripped up like it was mauled by a gorilla. Surprised at the turn of events, Robin inspected the body, finding prints, a very sloppy hit job, if Robin had ever seen one.

The door slammed shut again, baffled, again, Robin turned his head to the sound, seeing Slade standing over him, towering dominantly. "Hello, Robin." Was all he said before Robin got a taste of his own medicine, the gas rendering him unconscious.


	6. Chapter 6

Robin found himself lying face down in the dirt. He groaned loudly, feeling all control of his body slip. His mind raced with confusion. "Why did Slade leave me here?" He wondered, as he grabbed one his broken ribs that surprisingly didn't break the skin. Robin felt the alleyway spinning, when attempting to stand on his legs, only to tumble back down. "Where am I?" He asked himself. A spotlight switch was hit, it's sound echoed through the area, the light beamed down on one man, standing rows above Robin. "This Robin, is where you began." With a snap of his fingers, Slade opened Robin's eyes to see the tent where the "Flying Grayson's" performed when Robin was a very young boy. "Imagine losing your parents in front of hundreds of bystanders." Robin panicked, the memories flooding back to him. He held his head tightly, as if it would stop him from remembering.

Freshly dropped blood marked the site where his parents took that faithful fall. The tent smelled of fire, but nothing was burning. "What do you want?!" He asks, shrieking. Slade looked down to Robin, his eyes expressionless. "Richard 'Dick' Grayson, you know exactly what I want." He glared at his adversary. "A chance at...greatness." Slade's stance was perfectly straight, like a dictator pushing his will down on to his subjects.

Robin pulled himself together, he jumped onto the platform, confused, but not caring. He withdrew his staff at Slade taking a swing with all his might, only for to be halted. The sound of crackling vines rang through the boy wonders ears, he gasped in pain. Before he could respond, Robin was thrown back onto the dirt ground, where he could feel his ribs explode and his back gave out. Robin suppressed a scream of agony. "You are slow. Why?" Slade commented. Briefly amused by his rival's ultra sluggish performance, stealing his staff.

"When I came to Jump City, I was a B grade rival to the Batman. Even though I was stronger, faster, more experienced." Slade shared his backstory with the semi-crippled vigilante. "De- Deathstroke." Robin spat out, willing himself to his shaking two feet. If he could see through the metal mask, Robin be witnessing Slade smile. "Yes, so the monkey finally gets out of the maze." He continues patronizes. "I've waited for you to put together the piece. Guess I overestimated you." Grabbing the tent tightly, Robin stood slanted, he reached into his arsenal on his waist and threw his smoke bomb. Robin lost air, his throat tightened, his feet lifted off the ground. When the smoke clear, Slade stared at him with his demented eyes. "Where could you go?" He asks genuinely. Slade dropped Robin to his feet like a throw pillow.

"Deception will get you nowhere." He placed his metal bottom boot on Robin's now broken rib cage. He yelled in agony. "You will join me. We will destroy the Red Hood. There is no second option." He puts point blank to Robin, who was still struggling against his captor. "I thought you two were friendly." Robin retorted, hearing another bone snap. "Yes. Now, he has what I want and what I will will destroy him when I have it." Slade lightens his weight, letting the boy get a breath. "Never!" Robin attempted to bellow, but only whimpered through his teeth. He couldn't speak, he felt like he was going to faint. Slade seemed unaffected by Robin's defiances. "You will change." He promised.

At this point Robin felt his rib pierce his skin, he was in searing pain. He closed his eyes and hoped for a quick end. He then felt a load come off his chest. He opened his eyes to see Slade hunched over in the ruins of the wooden stands, Batgirl stands over him. "Sorry, but this one's mine." She quips before kicking down on Slade's chest sending him down two rows.

When he regrouped, Slade threw a jab, then attempted to lift the lighter female, Batgirl jumped back, giving him a swift kick in the metal mask. Slade stumbled backwards, but suffocated her with his constant close presence. Slade threw Batgirl next to Robin's near unconscious body. "Always good to see an offspring of the Batman." Slade cracked his knuckles, ready for the bout. Batgirl slipped her fingers into Robin's utility belt, finding his Wing-Dings, she pierced Slade's skin with two and cut the spotlight with the third, landing squarely on top of the missionary. The dirt was lit on fire, which connected to the tent, Batgirl responded to this by draping Robin over her shoulder and running for the exit.

When they cleared the black smoke, Batgirl laid Robin gently down on the grass, his breathing labored. He grabbed her wrist tightly. "Falcone..-" he breathed. "Dead. Red Hood killed him before I showed." Batgirl stated. "He's killing off his workers." She looked at his body, all bumpy and looked painful.

She was about to take Robin back home, when Slade emerged from the flames, only suffering minor burns. Before Batgirl could turn her head, Slade snuck up on the adversary, delivering a sharp plunge to her spine with Robin's staff.. She cried in pain, Robin, with little energy looked on. "No!" He screamed. "Batgirl!" He taunted, despite him being in no position to talk. He felt his vision slip into blackness, unable to gather himself, he quit. He tried not to, but his body shut down. He succumbed to the pain. He couldn't help Slade, he wouldn't, he'd die first.


End file.
